Pre-natal lead exposure linked to schizophrenia

Exposure to lead while in the womb may double a child's risk of developing schizophrenia later in life, new research from Columbia University suggests.

The researchers, who presented their findings at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, followed a group of children born in Oakland, California between 1959 and 1966.

Using medical records, they tracked down 44 of the children diagnosed with schizophrenia or a related disorder, comparing lead levels using blood samples which had been taken from their mothers while pregnant.

The researchers found that children who had been exposed to high levels of lead in the womb were more than twice as likely to go on to develop the disease.

"If we can understand even one pathway of how schizophrenia is caused, we could open up the world of schizophrenia research to treatment and prevention," said author of the study Ezra Susser to New Scientist.

Like alcohol, lead is known to inhibit brain activity which implies a possible link between children who have suffered foetal alcohol syndrome, which results in neurological problems, and schizophrenics.